THE FRENCH WINE INDUSTRY

To know great wine is to know France. No other country produces and offers such a range of diverse and superb wines. French wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy regularly achieve high-altitude prices that may or may not offer value for money. French wines are notoriously difficult to become familiar with – not only because of their price, but also due to the system of naming according to region or origin rather than what the new world is used to – grape variety/ies. The challenge for wine lovers is to study French origins and producers to gain an understanding of the wines they may purchase.

Glamorous Champagne and France are inextricably linked and it is with great price that Planet Wine launched Champagne Marguet in New Zealand in December 2007.  Benoit Marguet is a 5th-generation Champagne winemaker and is married to the scion of another Champagne-producing family - Champagne Launois.

In addition to the glamour wines, France is also increasingly producing good value wines that have been made in an approachable “new world” style and are often varietally labeled – making it easier for consumers to make purchase decisions.

One of these wines is the Nathalie & Co. Syrah Carignan from the lower part of the Rhône Valley where the combination of great “poor” soils, old carignan bush vines, easy slopes and good sunshine hours are ideal for producing this rustic yet approachable red wine.